About

Maine College of Art

The Maine College of Art (MECA) is a fully accredited, degree-granting art college in the city of Portland, Maine. Founded in 1882, the Maine College of Art is the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. In addition to offering Bachelor, Post-Baccalaureate in Art Education and Master of Fine Arts degrees, the school has a continuing studies program for adults and high school students. MECA is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of thirty-six leading art schools in the United States. MECA is located in the heart of Portland and educates artists at all stages of their creative careers.

Impact on Portland

Maine College of Art's renovation of the landmark Porteous Building in the late 1990s was the beginning of the transformation of Congress Street into the now thriving Arts District. New classrooms and studios feature panoramic views of Casco Bay. With four academic programs (undergraduate, graduate, post-baccalaureate and continuing studies) the college has become the largest employer of visual artists in the state. The College recently consolidated all academic and studio functions to a single location within the Porteous building. With 125,000 square feet (11,600 m) of space, this former department store is now a five-floor vertical campus.

Timeline

The former home of the Maine College of Art, the Charles Q. Clapp House, located at 97 Spring Street in Portland, Maine.

1882 Founded as part of the Portland Society of Art

1911 First organized curriculum

1920s First diplomas awarded by School of Fine & Applied Arts

1972 Name changed to Portland School of Art

1973 NASAD and NEASC accreditation received

1975 First BFA degrees awarded

1982 School separated from Portland Society of Art

1983 School acquired Baxter Building

1992 Name changed to Maine College of Art

1993 Porteous Mitchell & Braun department store building purchased

1996 4th and 5th floors of Porteous Building completed

1997 Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA opened in Porteous Building

1998 MFA in Studio Arts program launched

2001 Joanne Waxman Library opened on 2nd floor of Porteous Building/Media Department created

2004 Program approval for new majors in Illustration and Woodworking & Furniture Design as well as Post-Bacc in Arts Education

2005 Secured new residence hall on Oak Street

2006 Secured Shepley Apartments residence on Shepley Street

2009 Construction of Osher Hall

2010 Consolidation of all academic and studio departments within Porteous

2011 Construction of Karu Media Center. Public engagement added as a minor

2012 Roxanne Quimby donates $400,000 to begin fashion program

Academic programs

Community members of the Maine College of Art engage in a rigorous creative learning process grounded in multidisciplinary educational philosophy.

Undergraduate Program Maine College of Art provides a strong foundation program which precedes study in the major. During the first year, students acquire a broad grounding which is beneficial in their chosen field, enabling diversification and interdisciplinary exploration. Formal critiques at the end of each semester provide valuable feedback, helping students understand and evaluate their strengths and areas for growth. The four-year professional Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in awarded in ten studio disciplines. Majors are offered in Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Metalsmithing & Jewelry, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Woodworking & Furniture Design. The college has also recently started implementing a Fashion & Fiber arts major. Minors are possible in Art History, Public Engagement, and Drawing. Students have 24/7 access to professional quality studio spaces, individual studio spaces as majors (juniors and seniors), and a 10:1 student ratio. Each student is given a key to the building.

MECA MFA Graduate Program The Master of Fine Art in Studio Arts at MECA has 30 students supports artists and independent curators who are engaged in transdisciplinary research and studio experimentation at a mature level. MECA's graduate program provides multiple options to individuals in various phases of their career. Built around two intensive summer semesters in Maine attended by all students, the full-time program allows MFAs to complete the other four semesters of coursework and studio requirements either on or off campus. The graduate curriculum is taught by a responsive, cross-disciplinary combination of core, visiting, and advisory faculty who work closely with students wherever they live. MECA's students enjoy an extraordinarily high faculty to student ratio and are given generous studio, exhibition, and production space during their summer residencies at the College. A dynamic, purpose-built teaching website is used to deliver courses all year round, anywhere in the world. During the winter and spring semesters, each full-time student is assigned an individual advisor who provides consistent, long-term, in-studio support as students expand and deepen their independent practices. Graduating students present a 7,500 word thesis and install a significant work in the galleries of the ICA or within the Px exhibition program at the College. The MFA at MECA nurtures the development of more rigorous and refined relationships between three key aspects of creative production: stimulus, practice, and analysis are seen as mutually interdependent forces that continually shape artistic experimentation and response.

Art Education K-12 Certification The Post Baccalaureate Art Education Program has 15 students is an accredited, full-time, 10-month residency, which blends the worlds of artist and educator. Students will gain an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of how skills intersect through exploration of artistic development and educational practices. Students who have obtained a BFA or BA degree, including 30 studio art credits and 12 art history credits from an accredited institution, may apply. Upon completion the program and passing the Praxis exams, students are eligible to be certified art educators in Maine and forty other states.

Continuing Studies Program The Continuing Studies Department of the Maine College of Art offers open-enrollment courses for adults, youth and children. Adult Continuing Studies courses and classes for young artists are offered in fall, winter/spring and summer semesters. The summer Pre-College intensive provides high school students an opportunity to explore pursuing a degree in art and design. Approximately 2000 students participate in this program.

Facts about Maine College of Art

Maine College of Art, December 2013

There are 350 undergraduate students taught by 65 faculty members.

Roughly 40% of MECA students come from Maine and 60% are from the New England area outside Maine.

The studio building, located downtown in the heart of the arts district, is open 24/7

The Summer Lecture Series, sponsored by the MFA program, offers free lectures from features leading artists, designers, authors, curators and scholars in contemporary art from around the country.

The Joanne Waxman Library is dedicated to the professional study of studio art and design. The Library is open to the public and is utilized by museum and gallery professionals, scholars, historic preservationists, K-12 art teachers, and area artists.

Housing for 140 students is provided among three residence halls, located one block from the Porteous Building.

The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art

The ICA at MECA presents contemporary, provocative work by living artists from Maine and around the globe. Public programs enhance the ICA's exhibition schedule, including talks by artists and critics, forums on current issues in art and design, and interactive workshops for young people.